Philadelphia at night
by Liffey
Summary: No Exit: Jo couldn't sleep and was working, next to Dean who was curled up on that armchair, right? What if he'd had a nightmare, what if Dean Winchester talks in his sleep? Dean/Jo don't like-don't read.


Philadelphia at night.

Disclaimer:They all belong to Eric Kripke and his crew.

A/N: Checked with Vista, remaining errors are mine

A/N: "Missing" scenes from "No Exit", spoilers up to that episode.

They say New York never sleeps, but Philadelphia was just the same, thought Jo Harvelle while listening to a police car or ambulance rushing through the night. After growing up at the Roadhouse Jo found it difficult to sleep in the city, but that was not her only reason for being awake at almost 3 a.m. This was her first job, the day she'd dreamed about ever since the day Bobby and Ellen had left her behind at the Roadhouse to salt and burn her father's body. Her mother had told her that she was too young to come along. Jo shook her head with a little sad smile on her lips, in her mother's eyes she would always be to young.

That night, stuck at the Roadhouse with a few half drunken hunters who were meant to watch after her, Jo had made a promise to herself, she would continue her fathers work one day. One day the name Harvelle would be feared again by all evil creatures crawling around in the dark between Seattle and Miami. And now that day had come, her debut, Cinderella was off to the ball only that this was not the Disney version. She would prove that she was capable top do the job, to her Mom, to the Winchesters and maybe a bit to herself, too.

Jo sighed, the Winchesters, they hadn't been in her plan at all. They were very good and experienced hunters and Jo hated the thought that her first hunt would end with them doing all the work, while she was dragged along like a little sister they couldn't find a babysitter for.

That was the main reason why she was still awake. Her only chance to play a big role in this job was to be quicker than the boys. She wished Dean would at least let her be bait; she was exactly the ghost's type, so why not use that? But Dean had made his point more than clear, he would rather drive her back to the Roadhouse tied up in the Impalas trunk than let her be bait.

Jerk, thought Jo and gave his sleeping form on the armchair an evil glance, but then a smile appeared on her face. He was sleeping in such a twisted position, that his whole body would surely hurt in the morning, but it was the cutest thing she'd seen in a while. Jo fished her cell phone from her jeans pocket and took a picture. He flinched at the flashlight and Jo feared he would wake up for a moment, but he only moved into another, even more uncomfortable looking position. Jo gave him one last smile and returned to the print outs and building plans in front of her.

"I can't…"

"Huh?"

Jo looked up, but found Dean still asleep.

"Sammy…"

Jo raised her eyebrows; he was obviously talking in his sleep. She had absolutely no idea what to do, should she wake him? Or should she just leave him alone? As much as she wanted to know what he had to say, she felt that it was wrong. She wouldn't want him to hear what she was probably saying in her sleep, right?

A grin appeared on Jo's face, mostly because with all the dreams she had lately he would probably hear his own name coming from her lips… and definitely not in a way she wanted him to hear accidentally.

A groan escaped his lips and Jo decided that she really didn't want to know what would come after I can't, Sammy and that sound. She packed her papers silently and tip toed out of the room. Jo made it to the bedroom door before she heard him again, but this time he was screaming.

"Dad I can't do this!"

Jo turned and hoped for a moment that the scream had woken Sam so he could deal with this, but there was no sound from the guestroom. She sighed and walked back towards Dean.

"I can't kill him," he said, now whispering, Jo saw that he was crying in his sleep. She reached out to brush a tear from his cheek.

"Wake up, you're having a nightmare," she said calmly.

"You're scaring me, Dad," he answered still caught into his dream.

Jo grabbed his shoulder with her other hand and shook him carefully.

"Dean."

"It's Sammy, he's not evil. He won't!"

He was screaming again and Jo shook him harder.

"Dean!"

"He's dead because of me!"

"Dean!"

"I was dead, I should have stayed dead!"

"Dean! Wake up!"

His eyes opened so suddenly that Jo almost jumped back, he blinked.

"Mom?"

Jo smiled at him and continued to stroke his cheek.

"No, it's just me. You had a nightmare."

Dean sat up and rubbed his forehead.

"Right."

"You want a glass of water?" asked Jo and stepped back.

"That would be great," mumbled Dean his face now hidden into his hands.

Jo knew that he was ashamed, but she also recognized that there was more; the dream, or what ever it had been, was still haunting him. She returned for the kitchen and handled him the water, he smiled up at her and Jo knew that it was a big fat fake.

"Tell me about the dream."

He shook his head and emptied the glass at once.

"Common Dean, you screamed things like 'I can't kill him' and 'I should have stayed dead', you better tell me about it, or the dream will probably haunt you. "

He stared at her shocked but still refused to speak.

"You spoke about Sam, about Sam turning evil. It's because he's a special kid, right?"

"It's not your business!" Dean screamed at her and regretted it imminently, but was too proud to confess.

"Okay," said Jo and crossed her arms in front of her, "I don't want to fight with you, so why don't you just get lost and let me finish my work."

"You're working?"

"I'm doing my job if you don't mind."

"You should sleep," he answered and Jo recognized that he tried to act like a "big brother" towards her once again, it annoyed her. He had done that ever since he'd lied to her Mom over the phone, telling her that he'd no idea about her daughter's whereabouts.

"Stop telling me what to do."

"We're hunting here Jo, something evil and dangerous. I would feel a lot better if I know that you are awake while covering my back."

Jo knew that he was right, but she also knew that trying to fall asleep wouldn't work for her tonight.

"I can't, so unless you're planning on knocking me out, deal with it. You know what, you go and take the bed. Go to sleep and leave me alone."

She returned to her files on the kitchen counter, determined to ignore him. Dean glared at her for a while, then got up and vanished into the bedroom with a dramatic sigh.

"If you decide to come to bed don't dare to wake me."

"I'm sorry."

Jo looked up again and found Dean standing in the door, she recognized that it had taken him 30 minutes to come out and apologize. Not that bad.

"Its fine," she mumbled and went back to her work on more time.

"No it's not," he said," I can't make it fine or good… I can't even make it okay."

He turned around and vanished into the dark bedroom again. Jo raised her eyebrows puzzled if he'd talked about their fight, their whatever relationship, his dream or his entire life.

"Dean?" she asked, stood up and followed him reluctantly, unsure what he was doing and expecting.

She found him sitting on the bed, his face hidden in both his hands.

"You're okay?"

He looked up at her slowly and Jo felt a very uncomfortable lump in her throat, he had wiped them away, but she could still see the traces the tears had left on his face.

"No," she whispered, "You're not."

"I let them down," he said slowly.

"Dean what are you talking about?"

Jo sat down next to him, unsure if it would be okay if she would touch his arm or shoulder in an innocent way, afraid that he would back off and close the little gate to the Dean behind the cocky mask he usually wore that had just opened.

"Dad. He died, because of me...no… he died for me and now…" Dean shrugged.

"What happened?"

He sighed and she almost thought he wouldn't answer, but then…

"Remember when Sam said the Demon got my father? That's only half true; I don't know what exactly happened. Maybe he… he kind of swapped his life for mine."

"What makes you think …" began Jo but Dean interrupted her.

"We found the Demon. In the body of my Dad, possessing him, isn't that ironic? It almost killed me and Sam had to hurt Dad to get the Demon out of his body."

"But…" Jo tried and was stopped again.

"He shot Dad into the leg, nothing to bad. Sam tried to get us to a hospital, I barely remember how it happened, but the Impala got hit by a semi truck."

Jo inhaled sharply, but Dean shook his head, telling her in that way that she was wrong before she could interrupt him again.

"I woke up a couple of days later, almost all injuries gone. "

Jo could see into his face that this wasn't going to be a happy ending and she finally ditched her fear and reached out to cup his cheek, to her surprise he leaned in.

"I shouldn't have, Jo," he whispered, "we all got injured in the accident, but I was already badly injured before. They told Sam and Dad that there was a huge chance that I would die. Sam said they had to bring me back performing CPR at one point. And then suddenly I was fine?"

"Our world is supernatural Dean; maybe they found a way…"

"Yeah," said Dean sarcastically," Dad surely did."

He reached out and moved Jo's hand from his cheek, but instead of pushing it away he locked it with his own hand.

"Dean, the demon hurt you, the accident as well, that wasn't your fault and if John did something like that, he did it because he loved you, not because you failed him."

Dean shrugged again.

"Maybe. But if I had been better, if I had realized that HE was in his body… The demon was right. He said that they don't need me and that's right. What use am I? I couldn't save Dad."

Jo tugged at his hand and shook her head.

"Demons lie. And your Dad was a hunter, hunters die young. Don't think he didn't love you, only because he couldn't show it."

Dean looked at her as if he was seeing her for the first time. How had she done it? She had found the one thing he had carefully hidden beyond his torturing thoughts, and the only question all those thoughts really were. The only thing that had haunted him since he was four years old, his mother was dead and the father who had taught him how to play softball was replaced by a tough guy who accidentally wasted a shapeshifter before his eyes. Does Dad still love me?

"My Mom was the same," Jo told him, not waiting for an answer and he silently thanked her for it," After Dad died, she was really cold, couldn't look me in the eyes, maybe I reminded her of him. She was lost Dean, she tried to be strong, keep the bar going, and keep the evil out there away. And she tried to get out of bed every morning, and live a life that was nothing but unfair. She couldn't show me her love, but it was there, and one day it came back. Mom knew that Dad was a hunter, that he probably wouldn't come back one day, John had no idea what happened to is family when your mother was killed. Imagine how lost he must have been. "

Dean gave her a little, but still sad, smile.

"You're amazing, you know that?"

"No, I'm not. I just grow up in the middle of nowhere surrounded by hunters and other weirdo's. Gives you less time to think about quarterbacks and haircuts and more time to think about life."

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Sorry for what?"

"For being wrong about you."

"Forget it," said Jo nonchalantly, but on the inside she was proud, she'd shown him that she was more than a little girl, hadn't she?

"There is more," Dean mumbled after a pause, "Dad came to me, before he died, he told my about Sam."

"He told you what?" asked Jo carefully.

Dean sighed.

"Sam doesn't know, so… That Demon has plans for those children, and Dad told me…"

He stopped and Jo realized that there were tears in his eyes again.

"You know, we can talk later if you need some time," she offered, knowing that Dean was surely uncomfortable with that.

"It's okay," he answered and Jo thought now she was the one caught in a weird dream, "I can't believe it; but it kind of helps to talk with someone about it. "

He paused and smiled at her almost shyly. Jo suddenly saw how bad he really looked. He was still a very handsome man; but the scar that had been on his forehead when they'd first met was still visible, there were shadows under his eyes and he looked pale. Jo realized that he'd looked like that ever since they'd met and until now she'd thought that it was normal. Living at night, hunting the evil wasn't an easy job after all.

"Dad told me that I have to do everything I can to save Sam, and if I can't…"

"..you should kill him," finished Jo for him.

"I can't," whispered Dean, and the first tear finally made its way down his cheek," I'd rather die myself and let the world end."

"Sam is strong, and he has you. And even if this demonic son of a bitch get's his hands on Sam, Dean then you're not alone. We're here. Bobby, Mom, Ash… I'm here. And we'll get Sam out of it. "

"I won't get our blood on my hands, this is my fight."

"There's that stupid point again, huh? We're all already involved into this fight. And we're only strong as long as we are united."

Dean opened his mouth to disagree, but Jo placed her fingers on his lips to silence him.

"Just think about it. Not tonight. Just take your time and think about it. For now, you should try to get some rest."

To Jo's surprised a little grin appeared on his face.

"Yes, Mommy."

"Already getting annoying again, I see?"

She pushed him down on the bed, careful not to get to close to make this move dangerous.

"Can I have a glass of water?" he asked and made his best innocent face.

"Something else?"

"Uhm…maybe a story? A good night kiss?"

She considered slapping his smirk of his face for a moment; but Jo knew perfectly well, that Dean was trying to get rid of the vulnerable side he'd showed her just moments before by joking around. She quickly leaned in and pressed a small, almost not touching kiss on his lips that left him gasping in surprise.

Jo made it to the door before he found his voice again.

"Come here."

She turned and saw something more dangerous and tempting than a big chocolate cake, Dean Winchester looking at her with a mixture of need and want, no girl would be able to resist. Almost.

"Rain check, Dean."

He raised an eyebrow, but couldn't cover his hurt completely.

"Tomorrow you'll treat me like a little girl again, tomorrow you're not the guy anymore that I've seen tonight."

"I can change," he protested, and Jo saw honesty behind his still pissed because rejected features.

She nodded.

"I know. That's why I still believe that there will be a right time and right place. 'Night Dean."

He watched her go, then whispered:

"'Night Jo."

Fin

A/N: Hope you liked it.

Reviews are very welcome!


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